France wins EU approval for four renewable energy schemes

BRUSSELS: EU state aid regulators approved on Friday four French schemes that will allow the country to produce more than 7.5 gigawatts in energy from onshore wind and solar, saying the projects were in line with EU competition rules.

France aims to produce 23 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

The European Commission said France will evaluate the schemes and brief regulators on the impact with an interim report in 2018 and a final one in 2022.

"The measures are completed by a technology neutral tender which will stimulate competition between solar and wind installations, and will help the EU reach its environmental objectives," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.